WITH IMPROVED CLASSROOM TEACHING AS A MAJOR GOAL, RESPONSES FROM 717 TEACHERS (72.7 PERCENT OF THE 929 SURVEYED) WERE ANALYZED TO DETERMINE CAUSES OF IDAHO'S RELATIVELY HIGH RATE OF PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER MOBILITY AND TO RECOMMEND MEASURES PROMOTING TEACHER RETENTION. BASED UPON SIX CONTRIBUTING FACTORS--ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMUNITY, ECONOMIC, PERSONAL AND FAMILY, PUPIL, AND WORKING CONDITIONS--A WEIGHTED COMPARATIVE MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUE, CALLED A "CRITICAL INDEX FOR TEACHER TURNOVER," WAS DEVELOPED FOR A COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF TEACHER RESIGNATION. IN 1965, THE RESIGNATION OF 986 FULL-TIME CERTIFICATED PERSONNEL (13.5 PERCENT OF 7,557 TOTAL) WAS THE SMALLEST NUMBER REPORTED SINCE 1955. DATA SHOW REDUCTION WAS LARGELY DUE TO A SALARY INCREASE MADE POSSIBLE BY THE 1965 STATE SALES TAX APPROPRIATION FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. REASONS CITED FOR RESIGNATION OR TRANSFER WERE POOR WORKING CONDITIONS, LACK OF ADEQUATE TEACHING MATERIALS, LOW TEACHER MORALE, AND POOR COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL. MALE TEACHERS WERE FOUND TO RESIGN OR CHANGE LOCATION PRIMARILY FOR ECONOMIC REASONS AND FEMALE TEACHERS BECAUSE OF WORKING CONDITIONS. DATA TO SUPPORT THE FINDINGS INCLUDE ANALYSES OF MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM SALARY SCHEDULES, AGE DISTRIBUTION, ACADEMIC PREPARATION FOR ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS, MAJOR AND MINOR TEACHING FIELDS, AND RESPONSES BY SEX FOR TEACHERS LEAVING OR REMAINING IN IDAHO. THE STUDY RECOMMENDS CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT IN THE STATE'S ECONOMIC SUPPORT-BASE FOR EDUCATION TO REDUCE THE DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS OF TEACHER MOBILITY ON THE INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM, ESPECIALLY AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL WHERE CURRICULUM REFORMS ARE BEING INSTITUTED. THE QUESTIONNAIRES, TABULATED RESPONSES, AND BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE INCLUDED. THIS DOCUMENT IS AVAILABLE FROM THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, IDAHO STATE UNIVERSITY, POCATELLO, IDAHO 83201, AND FROM THE IDAHO EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, 614 STATE STREET, BOISE, IDAHO 83702, 133 PAGES. (JK)